Road grader



c. n. EDWARDS. ROA D GRADER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. I921.

Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6M v W3 m Z w zwwyw Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. EDWARDS, 0F ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA.

ROAD GRADER.

Application filed April 22, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAnLns D. EDWARDS, am a citizen of the United States, residing at Albert Lea, in the county of Freeborn and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road Graders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to road graders and particularly to that type of a road grader wherein the scraper blades are supported from a reversing circle mounted on a supplemental frame and capable of lateral, vertical and angular adjustments. My invention is directed chiefly to improved means for imparting vertical and angular adjustments to the supplemental frame that carries the scraper blade.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the 1111- proved road grader;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on the irregular line 22 of Fig. 1;

ig. 3 is a fragmentary view on the same line as Fig. 2, but showing different adjustments of the scraper blade; and

Fig. 4' is a fragmentary elevation showing a modified form of link connection between the lifting arm and draw bar frame.

The road gradercomprises the usual rear wheels 4: journaled on the rear axle 5 and front wheels 6 journaled on the front axle 7, which latter, by the customary bolster 8, is connected to the pole 9.

.As a feature of this invention, the main frame of the machine is made up chiefly of a pair of laterally spaced frame'bars 10, preferably angle irons, arranged to form a sort of inverted V-shaped arch with its high point at its intermediate portion. The rear ends of these frame bars 10' are secured to the rear axleo by'the usual or any suitable means, and the front ends of said bars are connected to the bolster 8 by the customary pivot, not shown.

Serial No. 463,533.

The scraper blade 11,- which is of the usual or any suitable form, is attached to the lower ends of downwardly curved bars 12, the upper ends of which are rigidly secured to the reversing circle 13, and this reversing circle is mounted for horizontal rotary or oscillatory movements in the usual way. on a supplemental frame made up of forwardly extended draw bars 14, the rear ends of which are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to a cross bar 15. At their front ends, the draw bars 14: are connected to the bolster 8, with freedom for substantially universal movement's, towit: vertical, lateral and angular movements, by the usual or any suitable means, not shown.

The numeral 16 indicates a transverse anchor bar rigidly connected to the rear pormental frame and-the main frame or front bolster, constitute, per so, no part of the present invention, may be of any of the different Well known constructions and, hence, need not here be further considered. :Rigidly secured to the main frame bars 10, at the upper angles thereof, by means of bolts 19 or the like, are plates or brack ets 20, which serve the combined purpose of bearings and gusset plates. In their first noted function, they reinforce and brace the bars 10 at their upper angles and, in their second function, they serve to support devices for raisingand lowering and angularly adjusting the scraper blade in respect to the road bed, so as to set the lower edge of the scraper at any desired altitude for scraping the road bedvhorizontally or for crowningthesame.

J ournaled on the plates 20' and in brackets 21 secured to the bars 10 are short shafts 22 provided with hand wheels 23 at their inner ends and, between said plates and brackets, with wormsEZ l. Theworms 24 independently engage segmental Worm gears the lower portions of depending lugs or end portions 33 that are rigidlyisecured to the ends of saidcross bar. connections between said links and arms 27 j and cross barll5 gives alarge range of adj-ustability forisetting thev scraper. blade either in the'one direction or the other at very'considerable angles: to the horizontal. By independentmanipulation of the hand wheels 23, the angle of the scraper blade in different-times. Both are withineasyreach respect to a "horizontal-may be quickly adjusted and the scraper blade may be quickly raised or lowered. Obviously, the two hand wheels can be operated simultaneously or at of the operator on the seat 34%.

In -the: above arrangement, the main frame,-"made up'of the bars lO, is thrown high up aty'its intermediate portion soas-to give" good clearancewforf-the supplemental ofthe mainframe bars, they are hung out of frame and reversing circle, and-also, this form-gives said main frame increased loadcarrying strength. mounting the-worm and worm gear below or in the raised angles theway or, in other words, are brought low down, as required, Without projecting them or their supports above the mainframe bars.

Moreover, with the bearing plates orbrack- V ets rigidly secured to the crowns of the arch bars, dependingtherefrom and reinforcing said angles, said plates are caused to act not 'onlygas suspended bearings but as truss.-

ing brackets; "Thus, they not only strength- 'en and truss the arches .of the bars, but are themselves supported in such a-way that theyare'rigid against lateral bending strains suchv as produced by the load transmitted thereto through the worms, worm gears and lifting-arms. Thus, from all points of view,

it is highly important that these bearing plates or brackets be extended;.below the tops or arches of the side barsand'that the wormgears and arms be mounted therein or thereon within .the angles and below the crownsof said frame bars. I I

In'FIg.'-4:, I have illustrated a slight modification in which the links 28*, at their upper ends, aresinipl-y bent laterally and inserted through the ends ofthearms 7 and, at ltheir lower ends, are bent laterally and adapted to be inserted, at will, either through the The adjustable perforations in the ends of the bar 15 or through the perforations in the depending lugs Thus, the supplemental frame, in-' cluding the cross bar 15, maybe vertically adjusted on the links 28 without requiring vertical adjustments of said links in respect to the arms'27.

What I claim is: I I

1. In a road grader, the combination with a frame having arched side bars and bearing brackets secured to the crowns thereof and depending therefrom, of a scraper and draw bar connections between the same and'the main frame structure, and means for vertically adjusting the opposite ends of said scraper blade, comprising crank arms and operating devices mounted on said bearing brackets below the crowns of said'frame bars. I

2. In a road grader, the combination with a frame having arched side bars and'bearing brackets secured to the crownsthereof and depending therefrom, of a scraper and draw baICOHHBCiZlOILS between the same and the main frame structure, and means forvertically adjusting the opposite ends of said set plates that truss and reinforce the upper angles of said frame bars.

3.In a road grader,the combination with a frame having arched side bars and bearing brackets in the form of gusset plates rigidly secured to the crowns or upper'angles of said side bars and reinforcingthe same'and dependingtherefrom, of a' scraper; and draw bar connections betweenthe same and the mainframe structure, means for independently vertically adjusting the opposite ends ofsaid scraper blade comprising 'co-' operating .worms and worm gears mounted on said gusset plates below said frame bars, said gears having pro ecting arms, links connecting'said arms to said drawbar connection, and hand-operating dev ces for ndependently rotating'said arms,

4. In arroad grader, the combination with, a frame having arched side bars and bearing brackets in the formof gusset plates rigidly secured to the crowns or upper angles of said side bars andreinforcing the same and depending therefrom, of a scraper and draw bar connections between the same and the main frame structure, means for independently vertically adjusting the opposite ends of said scraper blade comprising co-operating worms and worm gears mounted on said gusset plates belowsaid frame bars, said gears having projecting arms, links connecting said arms to said draw bar connection, and hand-operating devices for independently rotating saidarms, said links, at

their lower ends, having laterally bent ends; 13o

and said draw bar connection having verti cally spaced holes to receive said laterally bent ends.

5. In a road grader, the combination with a truck, the main frame of which has angular arched laterally spaced main bars, of a draw bar frame flexibly connected to the front portion of said truck, a reversing circle applied to said draw bar frame, a scraper blade connected to and adjustable with said reversing circle, bearing plates rigidly secured to the crowns or angular upper portions of said main frame bars and depending therefrom and reinforcing the same, co-operating worms and worm gears mounted on said bearing plates below the top thereof, said worm gears and said worms having independent hand wheels, and links independently connecting said arms to the opposite rear portions of said draw bar frame.

6. In a road grader, the combination with a frame having upwardly arched side bars and bearing brackets secured to the crowns thereof and extended within the angle below said crowns, of a scraper and draw-bar con- CHARLES D. ED /VARDS. 

